Facing the Lion, Being the Lion is work from the heart that helps us find our own courage and experience how connection to our own core connects us to all of humankind, as well as to nature and spirit itself. Nepo invites us to encounter the stories of ordinary people, political activists, artists, and spiritual

A work from the heart that calls us to look within and grow.

Facing the Lion, Being the Lion is work from the heart that helps us find our own courage and experience how connection to our own core connects us to all of humankind, as well as to nature and spirit itself. Nepo invites us to encounter the stories of ordinary people, political activists, artists, and spiritual teachers from all traditions--people who are summoning the best of who they are in all kinds of moments, great and small. This book empowers us to take those moments into our own hearts, to be inspired by them, to let them fill our lungs and circle our hearts, empowered to stand more firmly by our own core and a little taller in the world.

Community Reviews

Lovely phenomenological exploration of facing difficulty, ourselves, and each other with compassion, mindful attention, and acceptance. I loved the stories, anecdotes, poetry, and bits of history (stories about MLK, Jefferson) that Nepo used to illustrate his points.

Minus one star for:* focusing too much on relationship. YES, I absolutely agree that facing "the lion" (a challenge) by "being" the lion (with courage) is about accepting others, learning to love them in their entirety, being mindfulLovely phenomenological exploration of facing difficulty, ourselves, and each other with compassion, mindful attention, and acceptance. I loved the stories, anecdotes, poetry, and bits of history (stories about MLK, Jefferson) that Nepo used to illustrate his points.

Minus one star for:* focusing too much on relationship. YES, I absolutely agree that facing "the lion" (a challenge) by "being" the lion (with courage) is about accepting others, learning to love them in their entirety, being mindful of our relationships, etc. However, while the first part of the work mentions other aspects of timidity and courage, MOST of the book focuses on relationships, and I personally did not connect with a fully relational idea of courage. There was very little about finding inner strength of purpose, understanding one's own set of values, and the like.

* the book is VERY abstract. There are stories along the way, and metaphors to illustrate points, but many of these fail to be directly applicable to the daily experience of regular people (most of us are not Jeffersons, MLKs, or Buddhas...). I have no doubt that Nepo's suggestions have very practical applications, but many times I failed to come up with examples; as he is the teacher/writer, I'd want to learn more from Nepo about what exactly he means re: how his philosophy may be *lived* by all of us....more

Nepo digs deep into the beds of fertile soil that make up our innate potential, wriggling long tendrils of exploration into the dirt like worms tunneling in search of moist warmth and nourishment. He turns the earth, showing you the pebbles that were once mountains, eventually destroyed by time and man. He brings up to the surface the tiny seedlings preparing for the sun’s maternal embrace, and implores you to scrounge up the patience to allow the seedlings to sprout.

To read the whole review visNepo digs deep into the beds of fertile soil that make up our innate potential, wriggling long tendrils of exploration into the dirt like worms tunneling in search of moist warmth and nourishment. He turns the earth, showing you the pebbles that were once mountains, eventually destroyed by time and man. He brings up to the surface the tiny seedlings preparing for the sun’s maternal embrace, and implores you to scrounge up the patience to allow the seedlings to sprout.

I saw this book advertized. Instead of buying it, I checked it out from the library. This book talks about courage. The author's premise is that the word courage is to stand by one's core. He includes many stories, from the lives of ordinary people, that illustrate his point. It is an interesting study.

This is an easy book to love. Each chapter is a gentle urging to stretch, from the inside out, into a bolder, more dynamic, more present life. It's one of those books you can just leave around for a while, then pick up and read another chapter and come away inspired and thoughtful.

Mark Nepo has a way with words. I really enjoyed this small book on courage and how to live. It got a little abstract in places where I felt like more concreteness would have been helpful, but overall a wonderful read.